One of the oldest pubs in Leicester

The Globe is one of the oldest pubs in Leicester and may have been serving beer as early as 1720. Its ales were brewed using spring water drawn from a well beneath the building. The Globe may have got its name from the glass globe filled with water that framework knitters hung in windows to help spread the light they needed to work by.

Birthplace of one of the largest knitwear companies in Europe

The inn was popular with local stockingers (people who made stockings on a knitting frame). In 1815, seeing an opportunity, local businessman Nathaniel Corah would go there every Saturday to buy the stockingers’ goods. He would examine the goods, make bids for what he wanted and then sell them on at a profit in places like Birmingham. The business grew, eventually becoming the hugely successful Corah hosiery company, at one time the largest knitwear producer in Europe.

In the late 19th Century, The Globe was a stopping place for the 19 different carriers who ran regular services to Leicester from Leicestershire villages. Carriers drove horse-drawn vehicles that transported goods and passengers.

The interior in the 1960s. Leicestershire Record Office

A traditional old pub

The exterior is typically Georgian, very plain and brick built, and is similar to 18th century houses in Friary Lane, New Street and St Martin’s East.

In the mid-19th Century, The Globe would have had a three room layout typical of so many old pubs, namely a bar, a tap or smoke room and a parlour. In the 1970s The Globe was described as having a public bar, a smoke room, and a snug. The public bar had facilities for playing darts and dominoes, simple bench seating, and was ‘pervaded by a heavy chalk-laden atmosphere’. A ‘snug’ allowed for more intimate social contact with high banked settles (benches) ranged around a fire place. The saloon bar provided a plusher setting for drinking and conversation.

The Globe has been refurbished several times since the 1970s but still retains some of its traditional features and continues the service it has provided for the last 300 years.

Roman Leicester

(47- 500) A military fort was erected, attracting traders and a growing civilian community to Leicester (known as Ratae Corieltauvorum to the Romans). The town steadily grew throughout the reign of the Romans.

Medieval Leicester

(500 – 1500) The early years of this period was one of unrest with Saxon, Danes and Norman invaders having their influences over the town. Later, of course, came Richard III and the final battle of the Wars of the Roses was fought on Leicester’s doorstep.

Tudor & Stuart Leicester

(1500 – 1700) The wool trade flourished in Leicester with one local, a former mayor named William Wigston, making his fortune. During the English Civil War a bloody battle was fought as the forces of King Charles I laid siege to the town.

Georgian Leicester

(1700 – 1837) The knitting industry had really stared to take hold and Leicester was fast becoming the main centre of hosiery manufacture in Britain. This new prosperity was reflected throughout the town with broader, paved streets lined with elegant brick buildings and genteel residences.

Victorian Leicester

(1837 – 1901) The industrial revolution had a huge effect on Leicester resulting in the population growing from 40,000 to 212,000 during this period. Many of Leicester's most iconic buildings were erected during this time as wealthy Victorians made their mark on the town.

Edwardian Leicester

(1901 – 1910) Electric trams came to the streets of Leicester and increased literacy among the citizens led to many becoming politicised. The famous 1905 ‘March of the Unemployed to London’ left from Leicester market when 30,000 people came to witness the historic event.

Early 20th Century Leicester

(1910 – 1973) The diverse industrial base meant Leicester was able to cope with the economic challenges of the 1920s and 1930s. New light engineering businesses, such as typewriter and scientific instrument making, complemented the more traditional industries of hosiery and footwear manufacturing.

Modern Leicester

(1973 – present day) Industry was still thriving in the city during the 1970s, with the work opportunities attracting many immigrants from all over the world. While industry has declined in recent years, excellent transport links have made Leicester an attractive centre for many businesses. The City now has much to be proud of including its sporting achievements and the richness of its cultural heritage and diversity.